As the Noose Tightens
by elphabah
Summary: oneshot about Sasuke's first night in the Hidden Sound Village.


He laid awake, black eyes gazing into the darkness of his new bedroom. His mind wandered over the life he had so hastenly ran away from, the ties he had severed with a double-edged blade. He thought of Sakura, the weight of her sorrowful green eyes still etched into his memory, and wondered what she was doing at that very moment. It was late, but he pictured her still awake, either reviewing scrolls or tidying up the small apartment she shared with her mother. For a moment Sasuke wondered if he would ever get to see her again, but just as soon as this thought surfaced he quickly abandoned it. Sasuke didn't even let his mind imagine the face of a certain yellow-haired boy, fearing that such thoughts might inspire any waver in his resolution.

He had to turn his heart to stone. Icey. He had to. . .

Be like him.

"But I won't become him," he said to himself, rolling over on his side.

On the nearby dresser someone had gently stacked a set of fresh clothes, the uniform of his new leader. Sasuke eyed the robes with contempt, while a part of him knew that this was going to be the beginning of many changes to come. A new attire was truly the least of his worries.

The lone boy got up from the bed and moved towards the dresser, his gaze flashing on the person staring back at him in the mirror. The sullen thin lips forming a frown, the murky depths of his coal dark eyes. Suddenly the reflection he had been looking at for the last thirteen years didn't look the same. Something was missing and he couldn't quite grasp at what it was. Perhaps he had left more behind in Konoha then he had first imagined.

Sasuke noticed that a Sound Village head-plate had been put on the top of the new uniform. On reflex he tossed it into the corner, wanting to have nothing to do with the shiny emblem and the insinuation that he was a shinobi of the Sound. Of course, neither was he a shinobi of the Leaf anymore either. _So what ami I?_

An avenger.

There was a knock on the door and Sasuke's introverted reverie was immediately shattered. He wasn't in any mood for guests, but when he tried to tell whoever it was to go away, his voice was nothing more than a harsh raspy sound that barely left the back of his throat. The battle with Naruto hours ago had worn him out through and through.

When the door opened, the torchlight of the hallway quickly filled the unlit room and revealed the outline of one of Orochimaru's henchmen. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the intrusion. It was none other than that four-eyed traitor, Kabuto. How strange that they were to be living under the same roof. Even knowing that he wasn't as weak as he had pretended to be, it was still hard for Sasuke to take him serious. However he nonetheless disliked him and was openly wary. To think Kabuto had been a wolf in sheep's clothing all along, fooling everyone while he acted as a spy for the Sound . But at this point, who was Sasuke to judge anymore?

In the eyes of his village, he was a traitor too now. Sasuke fooled himself in acting indifferent but this still made a part of him uneasy. Perhap deep down he felt it betrayed what his family had stood for in Konoha. _Times change. _And so did the name of the game.

"What do you want?" Sasuke growled, clenching his fist while he shifted his gaze to the unwanted presence. If Kabuto sensed that he was not welcome, he didn't betray this as he entered the bedroom. He took a torch from outside the door and lit one inside so the room was illuminated with the yellow-orange flames.

"I'm sure you are tired," the sound-nin said as he sat down a tray of food on a nearby table, "but I thought you might also be hungry as well. It isn't much of a feast, but you are not much of a prince either so I assume there won't be any complaints." There was a flicker of smile on the shinobi's face that might have been considered friendly if Sasuke thought there was anything amiable about this man. Truth be told, the Uchiha boy found everything about Kabuto phony. Even while the four-eyed shinobi joked, Sasuke wouldn't be surprised if the man had poisoned the food.

"Whatever," Sasuke said, turning his back to him. Even in doing so, he could feel Kabuto's eyes boring into him. It made him a little anxious, although he made an effort not to exhibit any sense of discomfort. At any moment, Sasuke hoped the other shinobi would take the hint and leave him be. If not, a good ol' fashion, "get the fuck out" usually seemed to do the trick.

"Well, I best be off. Tomorrow morning Orochimaru-sama will wish to see you, so don't spend too much time in here sulking or whatever it is you do," Kabuto finally said with sickening cheerfulness.

"Run along like a good little lap dog," Sasuke sneered, "and tell that old snake I will see him when I am ready to."

Kabuto pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, both serious and taunting. "If I am a lap dog, what does that make _you_, Sasuke? Nothing more than a toy I suppose. All the same, even if you cannot show respect to me it would be in your best interest to show respect to Orochimaru-sama."

"Go to hell," Sasuke snapped.

But Kabuto only laughed. It was a hollow sound that made Sasuke's shiver unbiddeningly. "Look around you, kid." Shadows crossed Kabuto's expression--evaporating any semblence of innocence. Sasuke would never forget the words that came next, because they haunted him for days to come.

"This _is_ hell."


End file.
